Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall of Remembrance

Project at a Glance

SUMMARY: Construct a Wall of Remembrance containing the names of those soldiers who gave their lives in the Korean War and complete an overall rehabilitation of the Korean War Veterans Memorial

START DATE: March 2021

COMPLETION: Project Completed: July 27, 2022 

PROJECT COST: $22 million in donated funds from the people of the United States of America and the Republic of Korea

IMPACTS: The Korean War Veterans Memorial was OPEN during the project, though some areas, including the Pool of Remembrance, will be inaccessible.

Rendering of Wall of Remembrance at the Korean War Veterans Memorial. Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation image.

The National Park Service and the Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation are scheduled to start construction on the Wall of Remembrance and an overall rehabilitation of the Korean War Veterans Memorial in mid March.

The Wall of Remembrance is a new, permanent addition to the memorial which will include the names of 36,574 American servicemen and more than 7,200 members of the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army who gave their lives defending the people of South Korea.

The sloped, granite Wall of Remembrance will encircle the existing Pool of Remembrance, complementing the original design of the memorial. The circular plaza around the Pool of Remembrance will be extended accommodate the wall, and two new pedestrian paths will provide access to the memorial from Ash Road and Independence Avenue.

During the construction of the Wall of Remembrance, the National Park Service will also rehabilitate the 25-year-old memorial. Crews will:

• repair pavement
• replaceme the engraved names of participating countries and casualty figures with stainless steel letters
• refinish the stainless-steel statues
• replace the linden trees around the Pool of Remembrance
• replace the juniper trees in the Field of Service
• update the existing lighting with high-efficiency LED lamps
• install a new irrigation system that will extend the life of the linden trees.

Phase one of the work began in mid-March and the construction activity will require the removal of the existing linden trees that surround the Pool of Remembrance; new trees will be planted when the construction is complete. The memorial will remain open during the 18-month construction project, though some areas, including the Pool of Remembrance, will be inaccessible during the work. The project is expected to be completed by summer 2022. Funding for the approximately $22 million project is being provided entirely by donations from the people of the United States of America and the Republic of Korea.

The additions to the Korean War Veterans Memorial were authorized by the “Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall of Remembrance Act” (Public Law 114-230) signed in October 2016. The alterations to the memorial have been approved under the Commemorative Works Act, which includes approval of the design, construction and location of the new features by the District of Columbia State Historic Preservation Office, Commission of Fine Arts and National Capital Planning Commission.